During today’s session of the trial at the Baku Military Court, the defendant, Leva Mnatsakanyan, answered prosecutors’ questions regarding the missile strikes on the civilian population of Ganja, Barda, and other regions. According to him, such attacks could only be ordered by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces.
Prosecutors asked with whom the Chief of the General Staff had to coordinate such an order within the country’s leadership. In response, Mnatsakanyan stated that during wartime, he was subordinate to only one person—the head of state.
The prosecutor then clarified who was considered the head of state in Armenia. The defendant explained:
“In Armenia, it is the Prime Minister. At that time, the Chief of the General Staff was Onik Gasparyan, and the Prime Minister was Nikol Pashinyan.”
When asked about the possibility of accidental missile strikes on cities, he responded:
“If it happened multiple times, then it’s obvious what it was. If it happened once, it could be an accident; if multiple times—not an accident… I don’t know.”
